Residents go all out for the title of "Best Scarecrow".

More than 10,000 people are expected to visit and residents are set on putting up their most stand-out displays yet.

But one local decorator is leading an Imperial assault on the high street with his 20ft-tall Stormtrooper carrier.

Ian Mockett, 54, said: "I've lived in Harpole for 15 years and the festival is getting bigger and bigger each year. I absolutely love it. It's a big team effort with all my friends and family.

"The legs have gone up first. We still need to mount the head and the body. But it will be ready in time for the weekend."

The Harpole Scarecrow Festival draws thousands of people to the small Northamptonshire village each year.

In recent years, Ian and his team have pushed the boundaries of what counts as a scarecrow by transforming his back garden into Hogwarts School, a Jurassic Park walk-through experience and the Apollo Moon Landing.

Now, his AT-AT Walker will take centre-stage in Harpole, featuring a moving head and speakers playing the famous Star Wars score throughout the festival.

Ian said: "It only needs a bit of straw to count as a scarecrow. People almost expect something every year. I only hope it doesn't rain.

"Travis Perkins has donated all the wood for this year's project, which has taken 26 sheets of hardwood."

The rules say only one stalk of straw is needed to class an entry as a scarecrow.

The 20th Annual Harpole Scarecrow Festival is also a family fun day and will feature folk singers, a ukulele workshop and an old-fashioned fair with children's games.